So Tampa fans were counting on us to sellout?
they won't even be able to go to a sports bar with DirecTV within 75 miles to watch the game - Tampa, Orlando, Sarasota - all blacked out.

SwedishSteelersFan

09-24-2010, 10:36 AM

I am a Steelers fan in the orlando area.

Please help me find an alternative so I can watch this on TV!!!

Is there somewhere on the internet??? Help! :(

Fire Haley

09-24-2010, 10:42 AM

Drive to the east coast, Merritt island/Cocoa beach has sports bars, they will have the game.

joeyssteelcurtain

09-24-2010, 10:52 AM

I am a Steelers fan in the orlando area.

Please help me find an alternative so I can watch this on TV!!!

Is there somewhere on the internet??? Help! :(

Has to be 100 miles out of the tampa area

kiuaswarrior

09-24-2010, 10:54 AM

I am a Steelers fan in the orlando area.

Please help me find an alternative so I can watch this on TV!!!

Is there somewhere on the internet??? Help! :(

You should be able to stream it on Justin.tv or another site like that.

The whole blacking out thing... I do not understand how this works, or why they do this. Makes no sense.

lionslicer

09-24-2010, 11:41 AM

I think Blackouts are insanely stupid.

zulater

09-24-2010, 11:47 AM

You should be able to stream it on Justin.tv or another site like that.

The whole blacking out thing... I do not understand how this works, or why they do this. Makes no sense.

Justin TV drives me crazy. :banging: NFL is too damn good at blocking out their signal after a few minutes of streaming.

I don't know why they can't offer games online for a reasonable on a game by game basis? :noidea:

lionslicer

09-24-2010, 11:53 AM

Justin TV drives me crazy. :banging: NFL is too damn good at blocking out their signal after a few minutes of streaming.

I don't know why they can't offer games online for a reasonable on a game by game basis? :noidea:

lol I remember when Justin TV only streamed like 10-15 selected bloggers like Justin himself and iJustine and some other people... Gosh that was along time ago.

I'm sure if you really wanted to find NFL games online, you could search google for a site that does stream NFL games for free. Might take a while, but hey, if you're a dedicated fan you would do it.

zulater

09-24-2010, 12:07 PM

lol I remember when Justin TV only streamed like 10-15 selected bloggers like Justin himself and iJustine and some other people... Gosh that was along time ago.

I'm sure if you really wanted to find NFL games online, you could search google for a site that does stream NFL games for free. Might take a while, but hey, if you're a dedicated fan you would do it.

The thing is the NFL sells an online package, but you have to be in a country that doesn't have Direct TV! Talk about abusing your monopoly! :banging:

lionslicer

09-24-2010, 12:16 PM

The thing is the NFL sells an online package, but you have to be in a country that doesn't have Direct TV! Talk about abusing your monopoly! :banging:

I never knew that, thats pretty lame.
All of this because an NFL team doesn't sell out their tickets? Because it would look bad on television that some seats weren't filled up.

steelax04

09-24-2010, 12:17 PM

So DirecTV can't broadcast it either?

Stanley

09-24-2010, 12:22 PM

I am a Steelers fan in the orlando area.

Please help me find an alternative so I can watch this on TV!!!

Is there somewhere on the internet??? Help! :(

Check out this link:
http://www.atdhe.net/

They usually carry live streaming of NFL games.
:drink:

zulater

09-24-2010, 12:23 PM

I never knew that, thats pretty lame.
All of this because an NFL team doesn't sell out their tickets? Because it would look bad on television that some seats weren't filled up.

I think the NFL is going to have to abandon their sellout policy when the next TV contract comes up. As the economy continues to tank combined with the leaps and bounds that have been made with HDTV more and more people are going to stay home to view NFL games. So if you're a network and you understand that a team is more likely to win at home than on the road, which of course would influence vierwership, how do you plan to sell enough of your commercial blocks if 25-30% of games are blacked out in their home market? I mean the NFL isn't giving discounts to Fox or CBS if the anticipated 30 share they were expecting on home sundays in San diego is now going to be a 11 share.

lionslicer

09-24-2010, 12:32 PM

So DirecTV can't broadcast it either?

Direct TV has packages you can buy from the NFL where you can watch 1 team you always want, or all the teams, or only games certain players on your fantasy team are in. Direct TV and NFL both profit a lot of this. Its pretty much them wanting you to buy direct tv.

Atlanta Dan

09-24-2010, 12:32 PM

You should be able to stream it on Justin.tv or another site like that.

The whole blacking out thing... I do not understand how this works, or why they do this. Makes no sense.

Makes sense if you want to sell tickets to your games before the games are on TV at no charge to be watched by someone who might want to see the game enough to buy a ticket.

Last time I checked the NFL was not getting a dime from Justin.tv for the pirating of the video feed from networks which pay to televise the games and comply with the blackout policy

Could be worse - prior to 1973 all home games (regular and post-season) were blacked out in the home team's city regardless of whether the game sold out - I remember driving to Columbus OH to visit relatives in 1972 to see the Dolphins-Steelers AFC championship game that was played at TRS

steelax04

09-24-2010, 12:36 PM

Direct TV has packages you can buy from the NFL where you can watch 1 team you always want, or all the teams, or only games certain players on your fantasy team are in. Direct TV and NFL both profit a lot of this. Its pretty much them wanting you to buy direct tv.

Sounds like extortion to me.

zulater

09-24-2010, 12:39 PM

Makes sense if you want to sell tickets to your games before its airs at no charge to be watched by someone who might want to see the game enough to buy a ticket or have it distributed on video by a company that pays for the right to do so - last time I checked the NFL was not getting a dime from Justin.tv for the pirating of the video feed from networks which pay to televise the games
Could be worse - prior to 1973 all home games (regular and post-season) were blacked out regardless of whether the game sold out - I remember driving to Columbus OH to visit relatives in 1972 to see the Dolphins-Steelers AFC championship game that was played at TRS

I get that Dan. But the point is if we could buy the game online on a game by game basis many would gladly do it. 20-25 bucks to sit home and stream it live rather than spending 50 bucks at a sports bar having to find a designated driver to go with you, I'm going for option A!

Atlanta Dan

09-24-2010, 12:41 PM

Direct TV has packages you can buy from the NFL where you can watch 1 team you always want, or all the teams, or only games certain players on your fantasy team are in. Direct TV and NFL both profit a lot of this. Its pretty much them wanting you to buy direct tv.

I believe if the game is not sold out it is blacked out in the home market on DirecTV as well - I have The Ticket to watch the Steelers (cheaper than a sports bar without the hazard of getting nabbed for DWI when pulling out of the sports bar parking lot) and recall some blacked out Falcons games not being on DirecTV or the local Fox affiliate

You might be able to dodge that now if you watch online - DirectV can target which areas get the satellite signal but not a ISP address for a computer or smartphone

I get that Dan. But the point is if we could buy the game online on a game by game basis many would gladly do it. 20-25 bucks to sit home and stream it live rather than spending 50 bucks at a sports bar having to find a designated driver to go with you, I'm going for option A!

No argument from me a la carte online viewing is a fan friendly option.

However, as usual , it is a matter of economics

DirecTV is paying $700 million for Sunday Ticket (that is more than CBS is paying the NFL for the AFC rights and NBC is paying for Sunday Night Football). That payment is for exclusivity - the same reason ESPN is paying $1.1 billion for the Monday Night rights (much more than CBS, Fox or NBC are paying) in order to keep Monday night away from Fox Sports cable or the rumored competitor to ESPN that Comcast reportedly has been trying to pull together and for which Monday Night football would be a programming crown jewel

DirecTV's willingness to pay that much for the excluisve right to control distribution of the games that are not available on local TV is designed to sell satellite dishes and subscriptions to the regular DirecTV programming packages to individual customers and sports bars. DirecTV used to have a deal where you could buy The Ticket without a regular programming package but they dumped that option to new purchasers years ago and have only allowed customers who had purchased that option previously to do so - if you want The Ticket you are coerced to buy other programming subscrptions.

DirecTV assumes it would lose a lot of customers to cable if The Ticket was available on cable or other delivery systems as well (which it could not be when The Ticket was first introduced in the mid-1990s due to limits at that time on available cable channels, let alone streaming video, to carry all the games). I know The Ticket is what keeps me tied to DirecTV.

At best, DirecTV might let you buy the games for the day rather than buy a season's subscripton as long as you already owed a dish and subscribed to a regular programming package - ESPN GamePlan does this but so far DirecTV does not.

But as far as allowing someone to buy the games online for the day without having already bought a dish and a DirecTV subscription, there is little upside for DirecTV to offer that option, for the reasons set forth above, until the NFL and/or Congress decide to force the issue (the Red Zone Channel being available on cable is in part an attempt to keep Congress from doing something about DirecTV's exclusivity to sell out of market games)

it's nothing personal as far as DirecTV and the NFL are concermed - it is strictly business. They could not care less about what benefits the fans:drink:

Fire Arians

09-24-2010, 05:12 PM

lol i was almost convinced that the bucs had good fans, but maybe some of these fair weather bucs fans on this board should be buying tickets instead of posting here. what kinda team fails to sell out after a 2-0 start and an opportunity to test themselves against a contender? sad, sad, sad

stb_steeler

09-24-2010, 05:41 PM

Direct TV has packages you can buy from the NFL where you can watch 1 team you always want, or all the teams, or only games certain players on your fantasy team are in. Direct TV and NFL both profit a lot of this. Its pretty much them wanting you to buy direct tv.

Yeah u can purchase sunday ticket for a day if u have direct tv....Its 40 bucks tho, thats the only way i can see some of these stupid blacked out games....

stb_steeler

09-24-2010, 06:05 PM

The thing is the NFL sells an online package, but you have to be in a country that doesn't have Direct TV! Talk about abusing your monopoly! :banging:

Direct tv has a online package now to, but u have to get direct tv mobile to get it online... not cheap..:banging: Watching football on your phone, just not the same.

TB5219

09-24-2010, 08:06 PM

So, if it rains will ALL the Tampa fairweather fans stay home?

Killer:

The fans are not fairweather (for the most part). I went to every game from 96-2007. The economy forced many to move to find jobs, as witnessed by the number of Buc fans in Charlotte last Sunday. Florida's primary industry is tourism, remember. Not too many folks from PA vacationing these days, or RJS would be sold out. Right? Oh, and the oil spill did wonders for advertising the beaches, hmmm?

Go Bucs!!!!

Fire Haley

09-24-2010, 08:09 PM

Nice try - - we all know florida is all about college towns.

Go Gators!

http://www.pycomall.com/images/P/florida_gators.gif

Fire Arians

09-24-2010, 08:12 PM

Nice try - - we all know florida is all about college towns.

Go Gators!

http://www.pycomall.com/images/P/florida_gators.gif

yeah those fairweather fans prolly show up to bucs or dolphins games wearing hurricanes or florida state jerseys

TB5219

09-24-2010, 08:18 PM

No intellect still in Pittsburgh it seems....

Fire Arians

09-24-2010, 08:20 PM

No intellect still in Pittsburgh it seems....

http://cdn0.knowyourmeme.com/i/29358/original/umad.jpg?1260037695

steelerchad

09-24-2010, 09:01 PM

I'm actually shocked this game isn't a sellout. The Steelers are the biggest drawing road team in the league. With Tampa and the Steelers both 2-0, I can't believe this isn't a sellout.
I live in Richmond, VA so blackouts don't bother me. I got season tickets and Sunday ticket so I don't miss a game. I must be grandfathered in on directv, as I only have the ticket set up in my basement and cable through the rest of the house. I've had it about 9 years or so. Only thing I don't like is when the game is on locally, directv blacks it out and you have to watch the local cable feed. So, I have to watch upstairs and can't score surf during commercials. Also, if I lived in Pit and paid $300 for the ticket and they blacked out a game, I'd be pretty pissed. Guess Pit doesn't have to worry about the Steelers ever not selling out though.

Fire Arians

09-24-2010, 09:08 PM

^^ go figure, the same town that threw tony dungy out for not winning a super bowl, when he made them a playoff team after decades of double digit loss teams that never even made the playoffs once. ungrateful fair weather fans at its finest